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The week of your wedding, chances are, you probably won’t want to worry about much other than the main event. While this may make the idea of throwing a bridesmaid luncheon less than appealing, with a little bit of forethought and a few easy tricks up your sleeves, a bridesmaid luncheon can become one of the wedding week memories you’ll cherish most. It’s the perfect opportunity to step away from last minute to-dos and focus on being grateful for the way your bridesmaids have loved and supported you, and since graciousness is always a do in our book, we teamed up with Freixenet to share some of our best tips for throwing a sweet and stress-free celebration!

1. Choose a few special details: You don’t need to go all out for this more low-key celebration–instead, choose a color scheme and stick to a handful of thoughtfully selected decor pieces and accents. A spring-inspired floral arrangement, striking black mini bottles of Freixenet, and a mix of pastel striped straws were all we needed on our bar cart to make this luncheon feel like an extra special occasion.

2. Get everyone involved: The bridesmaid luncheon is the perfect time to do a cake pull! Originating in the Victorian era and most popular in New Orleans, this tradition has become widespread across the South, and it is one of our very favorites. Silver charms attached to ribbons are placed under the cake, and the charm each gal pulls reveals her “fortune,” for things like a life of adventure, good luck, or even being the next to tie the knot!

3. Give a gift: Take a little bit of pressure off of the rehearsal dinner and wedding morning by giving your bridesmaids their gifts at the luncheon, where they’ll have time to open and enjoy whatever you’ve selected to thank them. Along with fun surprises, we love this idea of including a few practical items as well, to help get them through the wedding day. This cute gift box included a mini bottle of Freixenet, healthy snacks, a water bottle, bobby pins, a nail file, Band Aids, and a cocktail ring!

We would love to know, are you throwing a bridesmaid luncheon before your wedding? What did you include to make it special?

P.S. Looking for more inspiration? Take a peek at the Freixenet wedding board on Pinterest, and follow along with the hashtag #AllLoveSparkles on Instagram and Twitter!

Photography: Emily March Photography / Venue: The Merrimon-Wynne / Florals: Eclectic Sage / Cake: Sugar Euphoria

Sugar Euphoria is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory. This post is brought to you by Freixenet – thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Freixenet. The opinions and text are mine.

lisa Written with love by Lisa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Southern Weddings Spring Inspiration » Emily March Photography | International Destination Wedding Photographer reply

    […] can see more from this fun shoot and tips for throwing a bridesmaid luncheon over on Southern Weddings […]

  2. avatar Dana reply

    darling!!

  3. avatar Elizabeth reply

    I am definitely throwing a bridesmaid luncheon! Many people think I shouldn’t throw it myself and that it should be thrown in honor of my bridesmaids and me by a cousin or family friend. What is the etiquette here?

    • avatar Lisa reply

      Hi Elizabeth! Traditionally, a bridesmaid luncheon is hosted by the bride as a sweet way to thank her bridesmaids for their love and support, so you can certainly host it yourself :)

  4. avatar May Goals » Emily March Photography | International Destination Wedding Photographer reply

    […] and bell peppers actually show some fruit. I was also really excited to see a recent shoot I did on Southern Weddings – these gals are so fun to work with! And I spent a week in sunny, beautiful Charleston with […]

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Love Southern wedding traditions and want to include them in your wedding? We wrote our e-book just for you!

From the looks of the comment section of our very first Southern tradition post, y’all sure seem to like history, don’t ya! Well, I’ve got another Southern tradition for y’all today – the cake pull.

Image credit: Mark Eric.

Most popular in the South, especially around New Orleans, the Cake Pull gets it’s roots from an old Victorian tradition of “ribbon pulling.” In those days, charms of luck and good fortune were placed into the wedding cake by the bride for her single friends. Now a days, bakers place sterling silver charms with specific means inside the bottom layer of the bride’s cake and all the single ladies are given the opportunity to pull a charm from the cake (a ceremony called the “ribbon pull”) just before the cake is cut.

Each charm has a specific and special meaning:

Hot Air Balloon or Eiffel Tower – A life full of adventure and travel

Claddagh – Friendship, Love, & Loyalty

Butterfly – Eternal Beauty

Star – Your wish will come true!

Anchor – Adventure is around the corner.

Four Leaf Clover – Good luck!

Flower – Blossoming love.

Heart – New Love!

Fleur-de-Lis – Love and Prosperity.

Kite- Something fun is about to happen.

Wishbone – Success!

Ring (similar to catching the bouquet)- Next to get married!

Did you have a ribbon pull ceremony? Do you have a crazy Southern tradition you’re just dieing to learn about. Let me know.

Looking for a place to put your cake pulls? Try my Mama’s Homemade Poundcake recipe here.

marissa Written with love by Marissa
14 Comments
  1. avatar Laurien reply

    Wowee, that’s a cool tradition! I think that’s a fab idea : )

  2. avatar Southern Wedding Traditions :: A Moment of Prayer « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] comment in the section below. Want to learn more about Southern traditions? Bridal Portraits Cake Pulls Groom’s Cake P.S. Three years ago today, I married the love of my life. Happy anniversary […]

  3. avatar Stamped Loves Letting The Good Times Roll « reply

    […] colors and ornate details. We love adding custom cake pull signs to our NOLA weddings. Do you know the tradition? It’s so fun to watch the girls pull their […]

  4. avatar Guest Blogger NOLA Star Event Designer Kim Starr Wise | Cornucopia of Beautiful Things Blog reply

    […] Cake Pulls!  A local tradition where charms (one for each bridesmaid) are placed in the wedding cake on a thin satin ribbon and pulled prior to the cake cutting.  Each charm symbolizes something different.  http://iloveswmag.com/2011/07/21/uncovering-southern-traditions-cake-pulls […]

  5. avatar Today’s Wedding Tip | Little Known Wedding Customs You Can Make Your Own ‹ reply

    […] is a tradition in the South of hiding charms in the bottom of your wedding cake with ribbons attached to each charm. Your bridesmaids (and/or other single women) gather around the […]

  6. avatar Crossover | The used key is always bright reply

    […] with ribboned charms.  The custom of charm cakes is an old one  – think Kings Cake or the cake pulls of Southern weddings.  I had read somewhere that finding your fortune by charms in a cake at All […]

  7. avatar Pulled to Tradition | Food Matters reply

    […] Victorian-influenced tradition is simple: guests select ribbons connected to silver charms. Each charm symbolizes a different […]

  8. avatar Southern Weddings V6: Southern Charm – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] familiar with the cake pull tradition? Read all about it […]

  9. avatar Auberge du Soleil Wedding :l: Michelle & Gabe – Adeline and Grace Wedding Photography Blog » Adeline and Grace Wedding Photography Blog reply

    […] What are they doing you may ask? This is a cake pull! Read all about this Southern Tradition here.  […]

  10. avatar Jenny D. Poulos reply

    Do you furnish the cards and ribbons for the cake pulls.?

  11. avatar Amanda reply

    I really wish brides would consult websites regarding cake pulls. I’ve been seeing brides, recently, where they are pulling their own cake pull. Or, they have friends/family/bridesmaids that are already married. It completely irritates me!

  12. avatar Wedding Traditions – Cat Lemus Photography & Cinema reply

    […] Some of these include giving the bouquet to the couple who’s been married the longest, a cake pull, the shoe game or my favorite whose creation came about after a few glasses of that delicious wine […]

  13. avatar Erica and Brad’s Wedding at Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club | Kelly Vasami Photography Blog reply

    […] lovely newlyweds enjoyed their first dance, followed by a New Orleans-style cake pull, where all the lades who are important in Erica’s life pulled a charm from the cake and had […]

  14. avatar Southern elements | (500) Days of Engagement reply

    […] Cake pull: I think this idea is really cute and I would love to incorporate it into a bridal shower. (hint, […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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